Tuesday, 30 July 2013

The World of the Personal Shopper ... Betty Halbreich.

"Personal shopper is an occupation where people help others
shop by giving advice and making suggestions to customers. They are often
employed by department stores and boutiques (although some are freelance or
work exclusively online). Their focus is usually on clothes, although the
number of non-clothing stores - such as furniture retailers - that offer
personal shopping services is on the rise, and many freelance personal shoppers
will help customers shop in whatever item they happen to be after.

Although there are no formal educational requirements to
become a personal shopper, related retail experience is a must.

A personal shopper is typically employed by the store itself,
which means that payment for the service is not required - only the items
bought. Other stores will charge a small fee to use their personal shoppers.
Only large department stores, such as Bloomingdales, Debenham's, Neiman Marcus,
Nordstrom, and Macy's generally offer personal shopper services, although some
smaller stores like Fenwick and Anthropologie also offer the service. Personal
shoppers are also known as fashion stylists (or shop assistants, or sales
assistants). There are also quite a few who work independent of any affiliation
with any stores and can be found in large cities such as New York City, London,
Paris, Los Angeles, Miami and Boston. Outside of agencies, personal shoppers
can be found on auction websites such as eBay where they auction their services
to obtain customized items such as men and women's clothing collections."

Sanctuary: Personal shopper Betty Halbreich in her office at
Bergdorf Goodman, where she has been advising some of the world's most stylish
women since the Seventies

'I do my best work here; I can do anything here at my desk,' she said.
'Nothing distracts me.

'I'm pretty good at sizing up sizes after 36 years. I can tell you that
you wear a two, and not a four or a zero'

Betty Halbreich, who has been the personal shopper at
Bergdorf Goodman for the past 36 years, is already a New York legend. And news
that Lena Dunham is to base her next project Bergdorf on the 85-year-old style
expert promises to make her a household name across the globe.

But before we see a fictionalized version of her career, Mrs
Halbreich has given Refinery 29
a tour of her work space at the store's Manhattan
flagship - and a rare insight into her life.

The Chicago native's corner office features a large mirror
and a rail of vintage gowns along one wall.

Display cases hold colorful jewelry, while art lines the
walls and books and hand-written notecards dress available surfaces. Two cream
chairs with plump cushions face an Eero Saarinen desk where she takes her
meetings.

Mrs Halbreich who counted Estée Lauder as a client, and now
dresses her granddaughter Aerin, as well as acerbic Fashion Police host Joan
Rivers, says she only has to meet someone once to know what size they should be
wearing.

'I'm pretty good at sizing up sizes after 36 years,' she
said. 'I can tell you that you wear a [U.S. size] two, and not a four or a
zero. But that's a little trick to the game, sizing someone up.'

And while many in the industry exist for the sole purpose of
boosting a retailer's sales figures, money is not her goal - or indeed
incentive.

Personal touch: Mrs Halbreich does not use a computer or own
a cellphone. Instead her desk features stacks of books, magazines and
hand-written notecards

She won't take commission, which might affect her judgement,
and says she is price-conscious, mixing couture with more affordable pieces to
create a look that is interesting and different.

'I'm not out to sell the most expensive dress in the store -
that doesn't mean too much to me,' she explains.

In fact, every one of Mrs Halbreich's clients will look like
an individual - she works hard to avoid dressing people in the same looks,
instead taking their personalities and lives into account.

And this has earned her a loyal client base that spans
generations - Estée and Aerin Lauder are not the only women to have passed Mrs
Halbreich's number between various members of a family.

But fashion today is very different from what it was in
years past. While Mrs Halbreich concedes that there are many innovative things
happening in the industry today, she reminisces about the beautiful fabrics and
workmanship that won't even exist in the finest creations these days.

Even a $10,000 dress, she says, won't have enough hem to let
it down if necessary.

As well as her rail of vintage dresses - which includes
designs by Christian Dior and Jean Muir - are display cases of jewelry,
featuring items gifted by her daughter alongside Ruser jewelry from California
and creations by one of her favorite designers, Meredith Frederick.

'I do my best work here; I can do anything here at my desk.
Nothing distracts me. It's some sort of inner security'

And unlike many offices, there is no computer on Mrs
Halbreich's desk - in fact she doesn't even have a cellphone. Instead, there
are hand-written notecards and piles of books, all of which have some special
significance.

Finishing touches: Also on show are display cases of
jewelry, featuring items gifted by her daughter alongside Ruser jewelry from
California and creations by one of her favorite designers, Meredith Frederick

For Mrs Halbreich, it makes Bergdorf the place she feels
most secure - and indeed, most creative.

It's some sort of inner security. And, I think if I were to
stop working, I'd just have to... go.'